At the most recent meeting of the secondary school principals of the Northwest 2-A league of the Oregon State Athletic Association (OSAA) attended by Portland Adventist Academy ’s principal, Gale Crosby, and PAA athletic director and basketball coach Lance Judd, most of the discussion was about the boys' basketball team from PAA. The basketball season had just ended, and the principals had all had the opportunity of watching the PAA Cougars play their own schools' basketball teams.
The first principal queried Judd about how he motivated his team to perform with the intensity for which PAA’s team is known. Judd had no ready answer for this question other than to praise his team for their style of playing.
A second principal’s question was more to the point of the team's religious fervor when he posed the hypothetical question, “Tell me what your team would do if a playoff game were scheduled on Friday night. Really, wouldn’t they play?” Judd was able to assure the principal that the situation had already occurred, and there had been no question whatsoever about the team placing their love for their God and His chosen day of worship over merely playing a game. There is no question that the same would happen in the future.
In partial response to this question, another principal responded by saying, ”Oh, I know about the true Sabbath, all you have to do is read the Bible.” This is most significant in that PAA is the only Adventist team in this league with seven of the teams from public high schools, and four from private schools. None of these principals have any other direct knowledge of Adventism or Adventist beliefs other than what they have seen portrayed by the PAA Cougars.
This group of educators was also impressed that the Cougars have won the league sportsmanship award for three of the last four years.
These discussions indicate that not only do the game scores make an impression on the administrations of other league schools, but that the team's Christian witness on the court has left other meaningful and positive impressions as well.
